Return to Rose
by Stalking-The-TARDIS
Summary: AU- Set after doomsday, Donna stays with the doctor with a time lord's brain, which proved not to be fatal after all, and now she tries to convince him to go back to Rose. Also, in this story, the metacrisis did not survive, so Rose was left on a parallel universe with no one.
1. Chapter 1

AU- Set after doomsday, Donna stays with the doctor with a time lord's brain, which proved not to be fatal after all, and now she tries to convince him to go back to Rose. Also, in this story, the metacrisis did not survive, so Rose was left on a parallel universe with no one.

Chapter One

The Doctor rushed across the control room, pulling back a lever, while Donna reached across him, pressing several buttons in a memorized sequence. It had been almost a month since they had left the ood, and the Doctor had been having some troubles with the TARDIS and keeping it stable during flight, but with Donna's help, the two had almost fixed the problem.

As her fingers left the last button, the floor beneath them stopped shaking and she released her grip of the console, which she had been hanging on to to avoid being flung across the room.

"Fat load of good you were back there." She scoffed, finally taking a seat, sighing.

"Oi!" He protested. "You were the one who had to go smarting off to the king of the Zumborgus. The KING!"

"Oh yeah, cause you can bloody talk about smarting off." She mumbled, rolling her eyes at him. They both looked at each other with a glare for about 2.6 seconds before they both broke into grins.

"But when you told him to buzz off..." He said, beginning to laugh. "The king. The look on his face? Priceless!" His laughter was rather contagious, and soon she was joining in with him, laughing away. This was how the pair worked; they got into trouble and then wormed their way out of it. In fact, they each had a rather good time with it.

She got up, a grin still on her face, and said, I'm going to make tea, you want a cuppa?" He nodded, and she walked off, leaving him alone to his thoughts. He got up and started tinkering with the console, something he often did when he had free time, when something underneath it caught his eye. He got down on his belly and reached underneath, pulling out a photo of... He dropped it, then slowly picked it back up, biting his bottom lip as he looked at the blonde in the picture, the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. His Rose. Looking at it, he felt all the anguish he had felt, leaving her alone on that beach, flood back. He closed his eyes, and let the memories wash over him.

_He stepped out of the TARDIS with Donna staying at the doorway, looking on. The metacrisis hadn't lasted long, not being able to cope with all the regenerations running through his head at once. Now he needed to leave so he could seal the Rift for good. He walked over to Rose slowly, standing in front of her. He catalouged everything about her: Her hair flowing in the breeze, the way the sun shone behind her, giving her a golden glow, the way her hands were fiddling at the bottom of her shirt, as if she wasn't sure what to do with them._

_"Rose, you need to stay on this Universe with Mickey and your mum. You'll be taken care of." He has said. How could he take her with him and risk losing her? He had already had a close experience of losing it forever. He couldn't go through that again. He couldn't lose her. At least if he left her here, even if he couldn't see her, she would be safe._

_She was sniffling, trying not to cry. "But Doctor, don't you want me around anymore?" Her voice had broken on the last word, and she frowned up at him, tears welling in her eyes. _

_"Oh Rose, it's so much more complicated than that." He said, searching for the words. He was never good with words. _I love you Rose Tyler. I can't bear to lose you. I need you to be safe._ But no. He didn't say that. He just stood there. A single tear rolled down her cheek. He wiped it off gingerly, and then pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. When she pulled back again, there were tears running down her cheeks freely now. _

_Still, she seemed to pull herself together, and the Doctor saw a look of determination cross her face. "Doctor. The last time we stood on this beach, what did you say?" _

_"I said Rose Tyler."_

_"Yes, and how was that sentence going to end?"_

I love you. I want you to be by my side for the rest of my life. You are so bloody brilliant. _But he didn't say that. He never could say that. It would put her in danger. And he didn't deserve her regardless. He had killed the last of his kind. He was the Oncoming Storm. A murderer like him didn't deserve her. So he pushed her away. "Does it need saying?"_

_She seemed to break then. She looked at him in heartbroken silence for a few seconds before retreating to her mum, beginning to cry again. The Doctor turned away and started walking back to the TARDIS. He stopped in the doorway and looked back at her. "Goodbye, Rose Tyler. I wouldn't have missed it for the world." And then he was gone._

Donna walked back into the room, two cups in her hand, setting them down and chatting away when she saw his face. "So Doctor, I was thinking, perhaps for the next place- Oi, what's wrong?" She walked up to him and reached out for the picture but he jerked his hand away in surprise, roused from his thoughts, eyes downcast, not meeting her gaze. "Doctor." She said softly. He sighed and gave it up to her.

She took it and looked down at it. It was a photograph of a blonde girl with the Doctor. They were both smiling - one of the happiest smiles she'd seen on him - and at first Donna did not know who this girl might be. Over their travels, he had told Donna the entire story between Rose and him, but she had never seen any pictures. Imagined they didn't have any. After a few moments of wondering who this girl could be, to make her best friend so upset, but then the realization struck her as her mind associated the face in the picture with the face she had seen on the beach so long ago. "This... this is Rose."

The Doctor nodded, taking a deep breath. When he looked up at her, his face was composed, but his voice gave away his grief. "Yes. Usually, usually I can handle not seeing, I mean, I can take it, because I don't have things that make me think about her..." He held out his hand for the photo, which she gave back, and he put it in his coat pocket. Noticing her concerned look, he smiled at her, saying, "I'll be fine Donna. Honest. Now, where shall we go next?"


	2. Chapter 2

In this chapter, the Doctor and Donna get themselves into what might be a bit of trouble.

Chapter 2

"Hold on!" The Doctor shouted, gripping the console as the TARDIS shook violently. Donna had been thrown into a seat, and now she was holding on, her head flinging around violently. The Doctor edged his way around the console and started flipping some switches, pulling levers, and pressing buttons. "I don't know where the TARDIS is taking us, but we're about to land!" A few more seconds of the shaking, then there was a jarring jolt which almost threw Donna off the seat and actually wrenched the Doctor's hands off the console where he fell on his arse. He got up, wincing, then looked at the console screen. It all looked rather peaceful, although he wasn't sure why the TARDIS had taken them there.

"Where are we?" Donna asked, standing up.

"The Doctor frowned. "I'm not sure. But the TARDIS must have taken us here for some reason. Let's find out." Together, the two descended the ramp and stepped outside. The planet was gorgeous, with fire-red grass, and orange leaves. It looked like a brighter and prettier autumn on earth.

"Wow," Donna breathed, looking around. "It's gorgeous here. Let's find out where everyone is!" The Doctor smiled and nodded his agreement, and the two started walking towards what looked like a distant city, their enthusiasm for discovering a new place present, as always. No matter how many times the Doctor found himself looking at a new planet, the thrill of adventure would never go away.

It took a few minutes of walking through the meadows to reach the city, but that's when the alarms started blaring and what looked like some kind of army filed out, surrounding them.

Donna stumbled into the TARDIS and shrugged out from beneath the Doctor's arm, laying him down in a seat before running back down the ramp and slamming the doors shut on a dozen or so aliens chasing after them. She bent down, her hands on her knees as she tried to get her breathing back under control. They had only just managed an escape. She ignored the growls and beatings on the door as she returned to the Doctor. He was breathing heavily, like her, and was already fumbling inside his jacket for his sonic screwdriver.

"What was that all about?" She asked, watching as he pulled his pantleg up to reveal the bad cut, which was gushing out blood. She watched as he put the sonic scewdriver to it, and the cut slowly closed. He kept his eyes closed, his face contorted in pain until it was done, and he let out a breath.

"Ah, that never feels good. Now, yes, that's a good question!" He got up and went back to the console screen, looking with interest at the blue aliens, all dressed in armor with something that looked like a whip made of blue flames. "Not sure, but this planet is obviously not going to be friendly. Might be best to stay away from these. Rather hostile."

Donna looked at the doors uncertainly. "So are we going to leave, or-?"

The Doctor cut her off. "I think it's best." He went to the console and started plugging in coordinates, and then pulled some levers and... nothing. He forwned, and started muttering to himself, moving around the console and punching buttons while Donna watched, confused. He finally stopped, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "The TARDIS won't let us leave and I'm not sure why. She pulled us here for something though. Or someone else pulled us here..." He trailed off, his eyes traveling to the moniter again as he studied the forms on the screen. Finally, a look of recognition crossed his face. "Oh! I haven't been here in a while. I know where we are though now. We are on the planet Malaroloria. The people here are called Lorias, and they are usually an extremely peaceful planet. I'm not sure what might have happened to make them so hostile."

"Yes, but that doesn't help our predicament much. They are still there and still pounding on our doors."

"Yes, but I once helped the emperor here. The people here have a rather long life-time, and the ones that rule stay in power until they die. He owes me a favor, so hopefully they will take me to him. I just have to hope he's still in power. Maybe you should stay here."

The Doctor hadn't even finished his sentence and Donna was already shaking her head. "No way. Where you go, I go. I'm not staying in here while you get all the action."

The Doctor knew better than to try to argue this point with her, so he shrugged and nodded in agreement. "Okay." He walked down to the ramp and stepped out, putting his hands in front of him when the aliens surged towards them, while Donna stepped out behind him. "Hold on, hold on! I request that you take me to Emperor Zorian."

The soldiers looked at each other, and then one stepped forward. "I am the general of the army, Rafael. What do you want with the Emperor, and who are you? It isn't often we get visitors here."

"I am the Doctor, and this is my companion, Donna. I am an old friend of Zorian, and I'm sure he can confirm that if you'll take us to him."

The general looked at him for a few seconds, then seemed to make up his mind, and nodded. "You will follow us." The soldiers fell in around the pair, and they started walking. Donna took hold of the Doctor's hands, and he squeezed it reassuringly. He was immensely glad that Zorian was still around. It made their situation immensely easier. Now he would only need to find out why they were needed here.

It was a long walk to get to the palace and other than a few teasing comments from Donna aimed at the Doctor, the trip was carried out in silence, but finally they arrived. It was a massive, imposing marble building, which looked pretty but extremely uninviting. There was a pair of guards standing at attention at the door, and as the group approached, they took a step forward to address them. All but three of the soldiers departed, and Rafael stepped up to the guards. "This man has business with Zorian." The guards nodded and opened the doors to let them pass. They took a series of turns through many different corridors, but the Doctor and Donna were both catalouging everywhere they were taken and the way back to the entrance, in case they needed a quick escape. Finally they were stopped at a large double door, where Rafael stepped inside momentarily, then came back outside. "The emperor has agreed to see you. You two are dismissed." He nodded at the other two soldiers, who left, then ushered the pair of time travelers inside, closing the doors behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

A lot of these chapters at first won't do much to involve Rose. The Doctor and Donna get a bit hung up, but don't worry, I'm leading up to her!

Also, I updated Chapters 1 and 2, added on to them a bit. :) As always, reviews are loved!

Chapter 3

Stepping into the room, Donna had expected several things. She had expected a huge throne with an imposing blue man sitting on it, looking down at him. Another alernative she had pictured had involved the man being in the middle of doing something, probably upping some security in the city, if that was even possible. The pair had been spotted almost immediately and soldiers were already posted everywhere as it was. She had imagined plenty of possibilities, but what she hadn't expected was to walk into a regular sized room, with wood interior, making it feel very homey, with several rows of bookshelves stocked with books, tables with various knick-knacks on then, and quite messily at that, and a slightly over-sized man reclining at a desk in the back, wearing a pair of reading glasses with a book in his hands. For the emperor of a city that was so hostile he was so... Laid-back.

He looked up as they entered, leaning forward and putting his book down, with a pleasant smile on his face. "Ah hello! How may I be of service?" He indicated to some seats across from him. Donna and the Doctor crossed the room, sitting down and getting comfortable as the emperor picked up some sort of drink - it smelled a bit like rotten fish, so when he offered them some, the two both politely declined- and took an appreciative gulp, settling back down again.

The Doctor leaned forward a bit, a smile on his face. "Zorian, my old friend, it's been so long. You haven't changed much though. Can't say the same for me. New regeneration."

The emperor, who had seemed a bit perplexed, clapped his hands together when the Doctor said this. "Ah, Doctor! How lovely to see you! It's always nice to see a familiar face again- ah, well, you know what I mean." He chuckled, his eyes roaming over to Donna, looking her up and down, lingering a bit longer than she might have liked.

"I'm Donna. Noble. And you can keep your eyes off me, mate, thank you very much." She huffed, and the Doctor smiled slightly. Whether she was addressing the lowest authority or highest authority, it was a rare thing for her to hold her tongue.

"Now Zorian, I have a bit of a dilemma. The TARDIS needs, er, repairs," he scratched at the back of his neck, as if trying to decide whether or not he should mention that there was more to it than just repairs, then decided not to, "And it might take a week or two, so until then, I'm stuck here."

Before he had even had a chance to ask for rooms, Zorian was already talking, saying, "Oh! Then you must stay here. I'm certain I can find a room for you and your," he looked at Donna again, "lovely companion."

"Oi!"

Ignoring her, the Doctor grinned, "Thanks Zorian. Now, and I don't mean to intrude, but what's going on here? It used to be so peaceful, and now security is so high."

Zorian sighed, his hands fiddling absent-mindedly with objects on his desk. "We're at war here, Doctor. Being attacked by Tramoons. We have suspected an invasion for a while now. We suspect there are spies in the cities. And they send in attacks almost weekly now. I've been trying to negotiate with them, but they won't listen to me very often. I can't figure out what they want." Seeing the concerned look on the Doctor's face, the emperor added, "It shouldn't be too much of a worry to you though. Every time they attack, we fight them off, it's mostly the spies that we have to try and route out, and that's the cause of the extra security."

It was pretty clear that the emperor didn't want to talk about these things right now to Donna. And despite him supposedly being the Doctor's friend, she hadn't taken much of a liking to him. She shrugged, getting to her feet, and said, "Perhaps we could be shown to our rooms?"

The Emperor stood, and said, "Ah, of course. Rafael!" The guard came in, and escorted the Doctor and Donna out of the room. Back into the twisting hallways they went, and this time they were taken to a large room. It had soft yellow wallpaper, with beds that were pastel green. There were a few chairs and tables in the room as well, all matching either the yellow wallpaper or the green beds.

Rafael left them, and Donna looked around. The Doctor said, "So, shall we go to the TARDIS and bring some stuff in here?" Donna gave him a look then flopped onto the bed nearest the door, closing her eyes and sighing. Without opening them, she said, "You do it, alien boy. I'm tired."

The Doctor sighed, resigned to a human's need for excessive sleep - a whole eight hours! How could they bare to waste so much time?! - and exited the room, quietly closing the door.

He jogged back to the TARDIS, noticing on his way the specifics of the tight security this time, and the way many of the citizens looked suspicious of others. He sighed and looked away, increasing his speed. He didn't like wars. He honestly didn't need anything to make his mind flicker back to the Time War. Donna helped him be better. So had Rose. Ah, another thing he didn't want to dwell on. He shook his head, as if doing so could dislodge those memories, and full-out sprinted for another minute, until he reached the TARDIS. He walked through the rooms slowly, taking his time. He went into his room, taking several things off of his desk and shoving them into his coat pocket. His hand brushed against the photo of Rose from earlier, but he refused to pull it out. Instead, he packed up a small suitcase with a couple day's worth of clothes, thinking that if they needed more, they could have laundry done.

With his needs out of the way, he went to Donna's room. Apart from some clothes strewn on the ground and the covers hanging off her bed, the room was tidy, tidier than the Doctor's anyway. He walked to her wardrobe and picked out some clothes for her, doing his best to pick things that went together. Once he was done, he zipped up the two cases, and set them down back in the console room. He stroked one of the coral columns, murmuring to the TARDIS. "What's so special about this place then?" Oddly enough, he didn't get a response. He shrugged and picked up the suitcases, sure that his ship had her reasons.

He walked back to the room, taking his time to stroll through the city, as the sun made it's way to the horizon. It was still just light enough to see when the Doctor arrived back at the palace. The same two guards from earlier were still huarding the door, and let him in upin seeing him. He made his way back to the room, switching the suitcases both into his left arm, and hopping on his right leg a little, his left leg raised up to stop one of the suitcases from tumbling down, while he used his now free right hand to open the door.

He switched the suitcase back to his right hand as he entered, kicking the door closed behind him. He set the suitcases on the table and turned back towards Donna. She was now in a robe that he assumed someone had brought for her, and was fast asleep. He walked over to the other bed, which had another robe laying on it. He shrugged and went into the bathroom, where he kicked off his trainers, stripped out of his clothes, and put on the robe. He carried his clothes and shoes into the room and set them down by his bed, then laid down. He didn't actually have any intentions of falling asleep, but in no time at all, he had done just that.


End file.
